The Dow and S&P 500 ended at fresh records in anticipation that teh positive bank results foreshadow a generally strong earnings period. The records, the third in a row for the Dow, capped a strong week for US stocks that some analysts attributed to commentary from Fed Chief Janet Yellen that was more dovish than expected.

Equity markets elsewhere were mixed, with London and Frankfurt down, Tokyo up and Paris flat.

JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Wells Fargo all reported higher earnings than expected by Wall Street analysts, showing the benefits of higher US interest rates, despite a drop in revenue from trading divisions.